Dog Seized From Apt. Dead

Animal Services says the rottweiller mix dog that police turned over to them last week has passed away. The dog was seized from a May Street apartment building by Police after they were called to deal with a possible case of animal cruelty.  The dog was thin and in stable condition when it was turned over to a City vet.

City Says Get Your Facts Straight

The city is telling the Chamber of Commerce, get your facts straight. They are asking the chamber to revise its report critical of  city taxes that it released a couple of weeks ago.  Mayor Keith Hobbs says the report, in reaching its conclusions, applies incorrect assumptions with respect to tax rates, tax forecasts and assessment changes.

Horizon Funds Turbine Prototype

Horizon Wind, the company building the Big Thunder Wind Park, is financing the research some Lakehead University engineering students are doing on wind turbines.   Horizon's Kathleen MacKenzie says the students are designing a prototype turbine for residential use.  She says it's a way to fill a need for small scale wind power development so it can be accessible to anyone who wants it.  MacKenzie won't divulge how much the company is giving the students for their study.

Witness Wanted

City Police are looking for a witness to a single vehicle collision that took place on Mountdale Avenue on Sunday morning.   A Red Pontiac was westbound on Arthur Street West when control of the vehicle was lost and the vehicle spinned across five lanes of traffic.  It came to a rest by hitting a cement sign pole in front of the Galaxy Lanes parking lot.  Anyone who witnessed the incident is asked to contact the police.

Shoppers Drug Mart Robbery

City police are charging a woman in connection with a robbery Tuesday morning at the Shoppers Drug Mart on Red River Road.  Officers say a woman entered the store, produced a knife and demanded narcotics, she also tried to gain entry into a safe but failed. Police found her in the backyard of a Picton Street residence where they arrested her at gunpoint. She's charged with Robbery, Disguise and Dangerous Weapons.

Heritage Waterway Touted

Fort Frances council is on the side of a group working towards having a water route between Thunder Bay and Rainy River designated under the Canadian Heritage River System. It would be called the Voyageur's Boundary Waterway Route Rainy Lake Conservancy's Stephen Challis says it will help draw awareness of the area's historical significance and play a part in economic development. Challis says they hope to submit a proposal for review this March.

Ruberto Stoked About Sister Cities

The head of the sister cities program continues to give it high marks.  Councillor Aldo Ruberto spoke about the program review presented  to councillors Monday evening.  He believes the program gives back.  He says for every dollar invested we get 10 times the return both financially and in the knowledge gleaned from those who travel to the member cities.  Ruberto says while we have cut ties with some sister cities, our new relationship with Jiaozuo, China will make up for it.

Fire Hits Ignace Grocery Store

Fire crews are expected to be at the scene of a major fire at Gramma's Supermarket in Ignace for most of the day. The blaze at the Main Street business ignited around 2:30 this morning. Mayor Lee Kennard owned the grocery store for 5 years and he calls the fire devastating. Kennard says firefighters will be putting water on the building for most of the day. The fire is under control and was contained to the store. Kennard believes a home behind the building may have been damaged. No injuries are reported and the cause isn't known at this time.

Veterans Protest Office Closures

Veterans from across the country are in Ottawa this week to make one last call on the government to stop the shut down of Veterans Affairs offices in their communities this Friday.   That includes Thunder Bay's Roy Lamore.  
Lamore was one of seven veterans who spoke at a news conference on Parliament Hill today and who will meet with Veterans Affairs Minister Julian Fantino this evening.

Morning Fire At Seniors Home

There were no injuries following an early morning fire at the Suomi Koti Seniors Home in County Park. Firefighters were called to the residence in the 500 block of County Boulevard just before 6:30 this morning. District Fire Chief Mark Harris says the fire was contained to a mechanical room.  Firefighters worked to clear minor smoke from the building and residents were placed in a common area inside.  The cause is not yet known.    

Council Puts Off Debt Plan

City Council didn't make any decisions last night about its debt management strategy. The strategy includes how the City will pay for the next phase of the Golf Links/Junot Road renovations and whether or not Tbaytel will be allowed to borrow 10 million dollars. Councillor Mark Bentz was one of many around the council table that agreed to put the report off so they could study the strategy more closely.

Something Needs To Be Done

City Councillor Mark Bentz says something needs to be done to improve the City's south core. That comment came after architect Ahsanul Habib told Council Monday night about his vision of creating a pedestrian market on Victoria Avenue. Habib wants the City to adopt his idea by closing off the street and designating the area a heritage market district. City staff will be looking into the concept further and bringing back a report at a later date.

Council Sends Letter

The City is sending a letter to both levels of government opposing Ontario Power Generations plan to bury radioactive nuclear waste under the Bruce Nuclear Power Plant site in Southern Ontario.  It's proposed burial site is near Lake Huron and the City doesn't feel comfortable with its proximity to the water. Council's letter says they're against any burial sites in the Great Lakes Basin in Canada, the US or any First Nations. A spokesperson from OPG spoke to Council last night to try to change their minds on the issue.

Heritage Sites Approved

The City is giving the green light to turn three local buildings into heritage sites. The Saint John Evangelist Anglican Church on Pearl Street, the Times-Journal Building on May Street and the Cenotaph Monument in McGillivray Square on East Donald Street are now recognized as historical buildings.

EMS Building Deal Done

The deal is done.  City Council approved the sale of the former EMS building on Donald Street.  Esquega-Everall Holdings Corporation spent 200-thousand dollars for 401 Donald Street. The sale of the building came out of the committee of the whole closed session last Monday.

No Temperature Criteria For School Buses

Don't expect rural school buses to be taken off the road when we are in a deep freeze. One man claiming to be a school bus driver called our newsroom and wondered about student safety as the result of a bus breakdown in the country, but David Carrol of the school bus consortium says a cold weather criteria doesn't exist adding there is no temperature threshold that would stop school buses from running. Carrol says during cold weather spells parents are asked to dress students appropriately.